ALL BECAUSE OF A SHIRT, ALL BECAUSE OF A DRESS
by Ballyuk
Summary: When that somebody you've known forever dresses and acts so differently all of a sudden, you might start to look at them as maybe something more than a friend. Based on scenes from 8x02 (Plastique) and 8x10 (Bride).
1. All because of a shirt

**Author's Note: I do not own the characters.**

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 **ALL BECAUSE OF A SHIRT/ALL BECAUSE OF A DRESS.**

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 **All because of a shirt.**

She lay there staring up at the ceiling. Faint light trickled through the edge of the curtains which framed the Talon apartment's living room window, bathing it in a dark purple hue that was preferable to pitch black. Her clock read 2:30, and while she simply could not summon up sleep, she was glad it had been a quiet night. Rather than her cousin and her boyfriend snoring in the bedroom or worse, getting their freak on, this time her lack of sleep was due to her own thoughts, which kept drifting back to _him_.

And it was all because of a shirt. How can a simple garment completely transform your view of somebody just like that? Sure, she'd seen him dress smartly on a number of occasions and she'd always thought him to be handsome and with a great physique, but on those occasions he still carried himself as if unsure of his place in the world, ill at ease in formal attire. This time though, he went from naïve plaid-wearing farmboy to smart sexy modern man in seconds. The shirt hugged his body in just the right places, with rolled-up sleeves amplifying the effect.

To top it all off, a bomb that wasn't really a bomb had exploded on a bus just outside the building at the same moment she'd been left gobsmacked by the sight of him wearing the shirt - the force of the blast sending her into his arms. It was almost uncanny how that happened. It felt so comfortable and so safe being held there, she didn't really want to let go. In that moment, she'd been reduced to the one thing she'd sworn she'd never ever be - the damsel in need of rescuing, if not exactly in distress.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. She'd always liked him even if they both had an unwritten agreement to downplay their friendship, settling for a comfortable routine of banter and bickering interspersed with moments of genuine care and affection.

Now though, all because of a shirt, she was going to have to face dealing with some new-found feelings and the possibility that they might have something more than friendship. He seemed to carry himself with so much confidence now and coupled with his smart new appearance and naturally helpful and polite demeanour, it was an irresistible combination. Everybody of the female persuasion in the office had made eyes at him, and he'd only been at work for one week. Some were openly leering and flirting but he just brushed it off. Maybe he really was oblivious to it all.

Not even when he turned up in the bullpen with messy hair and the shirt covered in debris did he look anything other than sophisticated and confident. It had thrown her bantering off-kilter to such a degree that she was embarrassing herself when assuming she'd been summoned to meet her new boss, and when trying to flirt her way to gain site access from a police officer. She _was_ acting like a jealous girlfriend and she'd even thrown winks and words of encouragement his way. When did she ever do that willingly? Was she 'marking her territory', so to speak? _Hands off ladies, this farmboy is taken._

She was in trouble and she knew it, and all she could do was bury her head beneath her pillow and will on the ZZZs in desperation. From now on she'd always look at and think of him differently. All because of a shirt.


	2. All because of a dress

**All because of a dress.**

He lay there staring at the ceiling. What little light was outside permeated through the curtains in his bedroom and gave everything a vaguely sepia tint. He'd been unable to sleep properly in the last few days because he kept replaying the tragic events of his best friend's wedding, and his mind had been occupied with first rescuing and then saving Chloe. Those two things were not one and the same since it had required the help of some heroes from the future to return Chloe's mind to Chloe's body. His lack of sleep on this occasion however was because he was now alone with his own thoughts, and they kept drifting back to _her_.

And it was all because of a dress. How can a simple garment completely transform your view of somebody just like that? Sure, he'd seen her dress elegantly on a number of occasions and he'd always considered her to be very pretty and with a great curvy body, but on those occasions she'd still carried herself with a certain brashness and occasional tactlessness, ill at ease in elegant attire. This time though, she went from bossy business suit-wearing city girl to stunningly graceful woman just like that. The orange dress hugged her curves in just the right places, with her dark hair very tastefully styled and her subtle make-up amplifying the effect. He couldn't take his eyes off her. People always say the bride is the most beautiful and radiant on her wedding day but if the maid-of-honour can take your breath away like this, then how good will she look on her own wedding day?

Rather than his usual shyness and her usual brashness, it seemed as though their roles had been reversed. He'd carried himself with confidence whereas she was the nervous one, showing a layer of vulnerability that only added to her appeal. He was the one making the bold moves and their brief time on the dance floor had almost led to a relationship-changing moment - one that they both seemed sure they wanted. It was other events that put the brakes on their forward momentum, and neither had recovered as of yet.

How did this happen though? He'd always been fond of her despite her ability to annoy him beyond belief, and they both had an unwritten agreement to downplay their friendship, settling for a comfortable routine of banter and bickering interspersed with moments of genuine care and affection.

Now though, all because of a dress, he was going to have to face dealing with some new-found feelings - the possibility that they might have something more than friendship was certainly in evidence at the reception. She seemed to carry herself with so much grace now and coupled with her exposed level of vulnerability instead of the walls of sarcasm, it was an irresistible combination. Everybody of the male persuasion at the wedding had made eyes at her. Some were openly leering and flirting but she just brushed it off, clearly not interested in anybody else.

Despite his outward show of confidence, he had still been wowed to such a degree that he didn't really notice her unintentional double entendres or her misreading of the situation when he verbalised Jimmy's vows, but he absolutely noticed the pain in her eyes at the hospital and that he was cause of that pain, however inadvertent it had been.

He was in trouble and he knew it, and all he could do was bury his head beneath his pillow and will on the ZZZs in desperation. From now on, he'd always look at and think of her differently. All because of a dress.

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 **FIN.**


End file.
